A Not-So-Sweet Alternative

Safer or sneaky?

Vaping is when you breathe in and exhale vapor with nicotine and flavors using a special device. The vapor is produced by heating a liquid solution, which can include nicotine salts (nicotine mixed with acid), synthetic nicotine alternatives, and sometimes traditional e-juice. These devices go by many names including e-cigarettes, smokeless cigarettes, vaporizers, vape pens, vapes, mods, tanks, cigalikes, JUUL, e-hookah, hookah pens, and more.

What You Need to Know

In recent years vaping has become common. While the rate of people smoking traditional cigarettes has continued to decline, the rate of vaping is rising. Because these products contain high amounts of nicotine and other chemicals, they are highly addictive and dangerous to your health.

 Vapes are extremely popular with youth and young adults

  • Roughly 1 in 11 Colorado youth vape1 and face a potential lifetime of tobacco addiction. Flavored vape products that appeal to teens pose an ongoing threat. In fact, in 2021, young people listed flavors as one of the top reasons for vaping. Over half of young people who currently vape are trying to quit and need our support.2
  • While adult smoking rates have slowly declined in Colorado over the last several years, the percentage of Colorado adults who had ever vaped has remained largely unchanged since 2018. Alarmingly, in 2022 more than half of young adults (age 18-24) in Colorado, have ever vaped.3

Vape devices come in all shapes and sizes

Vape aerosol isn’t harmless

  • Studies have shown that the aerosol vapor can contain dangerous toxins, including heavy metals and chemicals known to cause cancer.4
  • Tobacco companies are creating vapes with increasingly higher concentrations of nicotine and other chemicals to enhance their addictiveness. They are also producing vapes that are small and easy to conceal, making it easier for youth to use them in places they might not otherwise smoke. This trend poses significant health risks and dangers associated with nicotine addiction and exposure to harmful substances.

Vaping is addictive

  • The liquid solution in vapes can contain varying amounts of nicotine, which is highly addictive.
  • Vaping has been shown to lead to regular cigarette smoking. One study of 13- to 15-year-old students who had never smoked a cigarette found that those who vaped were more than four times more likely to report smoking two years later.5
  • Nicotine also has a negative impact on teens’ brain development, making it harder for them to learn new information and pay attention.6

You shouldn’t use vape to quit

  • There are over 450 different types of vape products, but none have been approved as a cessation device.7
  • An analysis of 64 research papers found that vapes, as consumer products, were not associated with quitting smoking.8
  • The Colorado QuitLine offers free and confidential support, including free nicotine replacement therapy. If you’re trying to quit smoking, talk to a quit coach about the resources that can help you along the way.

 

Many vape products are produced by big tobacco companies, which have been known to prioritize sales over safety.9

Doctors aren’t so sure about vaping, either

As Denver Health Hospital Family Medicine Dr. Daniel Kortsch says: “We know it’s addictive, we know it’s expensive and we know the manufacturers are making a whole lot of money selling it.”

 

Vapes can be poisonous

Nicotine in any form is poisonous, and is especially dangerous to children and pets. Vape juice has high levels of nicotine and can poison through ingestion, skin, eye or mouth contact and should not be swallowed or applied to skin. According to Poison Control, even just a small amount of exposure in a young person or adult can lead to nausea, vomiting, dizziness, tremors, sweating and seizures. It can also make the heart beat much faster than normal. If these symptoms appear, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.

The American Academy of Pediatrics warns as little as one milligram of nicotine can cause symptoms in an infant and just a teaspoon of concentrated e-juice can be fatal for an average toddler. Always properly store and dispose of all vape products. If you suspect that a child has been exposed to nicotine, immediately call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.

Quiz: Debunking Myths about Vaping

I'm Ready to Quit

References
1. Healthy Kids Colorado Survey 2023. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. https://cdphe.colorado.gov/hkcs.
2. Healthy Kids Colorado Survey 2019. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. https://cdphe.colorado.gov/healthy-kids-colorado-survey-data-tables-and-reports.
3. 2024 Colorado Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillence System
4. Disposable E-Cigarettes and Associated Health Risks: An Experimental Study; National Library of Medicine. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9518067/
5. Berry KM, Fetterman JL, Benjamin EJ, et al. Association of Electronic Cigarette Use With Subsequent Initiation of Tobacco Cigarettes in US Youths. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(2):e187794. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.7794. Retrieved from: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2723425
6. Richard J. Wang, Sudhamayi Bhadriraju, Stanton A. Glantz, “E-Cigarette Use and Adult Cigarette Smoking Cessation: A Meta-Analysis”. Retrieved from: https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305999
7. E-cigarettes: An Emerging Public Health Challenge, CDC Public Health Grand Rounds, 2015; retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/cdcgrandrounds/pdf/archives/2015/october2015.pdf
8. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2014. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/50th-anniversary/index.htm
9. Tobacco Company Quotes on Marketing to Kids, Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids. Retrieved from https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0114.pdf